Interesting New Information

[Clay Diggins]

Anther option if cinnabar is toxic at https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geology/cinnabar.htm

Yes reading is fundamental. From your linked article:

In cinnabar's natural mineral and pigmented form, it's not dangerous. However, when temperatures rise, it releases a mercury vapor which can be toxic if inhaled. "Mercury is toxic, but as long as the cinnabar isn't heated, the mercury is locked by the sulfur, making cinnabar low in toxicity," Ottaway explains.

Still, anyone handling any mineral, especially cinnabar, should wash their hands and exercise caution. "Sometimes cinnabar is found with droplets of native mercury, in its pure form on the surface and should not be handled because native mercury is easily absorbed by the body and is toxic," Ottaway says.

Also, cinnabar shouldn't be cut or ground without water to prevent the inhalation of particles, Ottaway adds. "Ground cinnabar should be handled with care, although ingesting small amounts is unlikely to cause harm because mercury sulfide just passes through your body unaltered," she says.

 

[markmar]

Also " Elemental mercury is invariably associated with cinnabar (HgS) and could typically be found in association with orpiment and realgar as part of a volatile volcanic suite."
https://mineralexpert.org/article/mercury-native-element-mineral-overview

 

[Matthew Roberts]

Also " Elemental mercury is invariably associated with cinnabar (HgS) and could typically be found in association with orpiment and realgar as part of a volatile volcanic suite."
https://mineralexpert.org/article/mercury-native-element-mineral-overview

markmar
You are right about what azdave said concerning cinnabar.
As long as you don't do anything with cinnabar ore you're in little danger.
Jim and I both crushed and cooked the cinnabar and used a condensing column to draw off the liquid mercury and that is highly dangerous and care has to be taken.
Cinnabar will turn from sulfer to oxide at 650 + degrees Fahrenheit turning into liquid mercury. If you breathe or handle the mercury at this point you run the risk of mercury poisoning.

 

[markmar]

markmar
You are right about what azdave said concerning cinnabar.
As long as you don't do anything with cinnabar ore you're in little danger.
Jim and I both crushed and cooked the cinnabar and used a condensing column to draw off the liquid mercury and that is highly dangerous and care has to be taken.
Cinnabar will turn from sulfer to oxide at 650 + degrees Fahrenheit turning into liquid mercury. If you breathe or handle the mercury at this point you run the risk of mercury poisoning.

IMO, using proper gloves with any kind of ore, is the best way to avoid many troubles. And of course a proper mask when in a mine.

 

[markmar]

Clay Diggins quoted: " In cinnabar's natural mineral and pigmented form, it's not dangerous. However, when temperatures rise, it releases a mercury vapor which can be toxic if inhaled. "Mercury is toxic, but as long as the cinnabar isn't heated, the mercury is locked by the sulfur, making cinnabar low in toxicity," Ottaway explains."

Low in toxicity, doesn't means zero toxicity.

 

[Clay Diggins]

Water is toxic to humans if they drink too much.

 

[GreenBranch]

As I was walking along the top of the ridge and evaluating the terrain, I decided to take what looked like a more gentle route (red dots). Unfortunately it proved to be extremely difficult to push through the dense brush and not fall into hidden gaps between the rocks. It was a terrible, horrible route.

Looking forward to my next trip I remembered that the trees in the lower part of the ravine were larger and spaced further apart and the way easier to navigate, so I decided I'd try one of two alternate routes (yellow or green). Then it hit me!! Are those three red hills I passed?? If you pass three red hills, you've gone too far. No kidding! And what do you know? They kind of have the shape of three wickiups. And wasn't there a clue about having to pass between two large rocks or something?

It just keeps getting more interesting.

 

[Cubfan64]

Someone has to be very careful in handling these specimens. Azdave35 wrote how in his opinion Jim Hatt's demise was a result of his contact with that cinnabar ore he found in the same spot with Matthew's source.

I strongly suspect Jim Hatt's demise was directly linked to years of chain smoking

 

[Cubfan64]

markmar
You are right about what azdave said concerning cinnabar.
As long as you don't do anything with cinnabar ore you're in little danger.
Jim and I both crushed and cooked the cinnabar and used a condensing column to draw off the liquid mercury and that is highly dangerous and care has to be taken.
Cinnabar will turn from sulfer to oxide at 650 + degrees Fahrenheit turning into liquid mercury. If you breathe or handle the mercury at this point you run the risk of mercury poisoning.

I'm pretty sure that's what happened to John Wilburn with his retort at the BlueBird

 

[SPARTANOC]

Unfortunately very few posters on this forum know what a mine is.

Most are looking for holes in the ground to find a mine. The hole is the hardest part to find but you will know when a mine is present even when you can't find the entrance. The main feature of a mine that is always visible and much larger than the mine entrance is the waste pile from all the rock that was removed from the mine.

Every mine has a waste pile. No waste pile? It's not a mine. Simple, straight forward and always true. You can't hide a mining waste pile. They are obvious and visible even on Google Earth.

Clay Diggins

Waste piles can be hidden. It's been done before...
-SpartanOC

 

[sgtfda]

Clay Diggins

Waste piles can be hidden. It's been done before...
-SpartanOC

Pay attention to what Clay says. He knows his stuff! Oh! The doodle map is a fraud drawn by a fraudster. Copy from Tom K collection. Higham was a fraudster.

 

[sdcfia]

Pay attention to what Clay says. He knows his stuff! . . .

Indeed. Clay may have been a little blunt at times, but was always on target. Expertise grounded in reality doesn't always sell here. Fantasies do.

 

[393stroker]

Several months ago, as I thought about all the clues Dutch Hunters have used to find the LDM, I realized that the only one that seems to be directly created by The Dutchman was the Doodle. I figured that if this is truly a view from above the cave adjacent to the mine as Helen Corbin believed, I should be able to find it on Google Earth. After many hours of flying around the Sups, I discovered a landform that I think matches it pretty well, so last week I planned a day trip.
View attachment 2115272

After hiking through some of the most difficult terrain I have ever encountered, and after reaching the spot on Google Earth, this is what I found.

View attachment 2115273

Intrigued, I climbed up the steep route to the right of the cave and once on top, turned around and saw this. A horses head with an ear laid back?

View attachment 2115276

Excited, I hiked over to explore the area but it was getting dark and was forced to turn back and after hiking down by headlamp, I drove out at 2:00 a.m. Seems I never have enough time to devote to these excursions. But I am planning a longer stay in February and hope to have more information to share.

Now I know what you're thinking: Why doesn't he show the Google Earth view of the Doodle? I thought about it very seriously but realized that it might create a mad rush to find the spot by people not prepared to face the terrain and the approaching winter weather. I really don't want anyone to get hurt. So I decided to hold off until I've had a chance to explore the area further and perhaps find a better route.

Until next time, I hope many of you will comment and share your opinions. Politely of course.

GreenBranch

Cool, you should plan an overnight recon mission so you can have more time to check it out.